


Waterfall

by Roxan



Series: Rokushi Week 2020 [2]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Background Relationship, F/M, Rock Band AU Kinda, Rokushi Week 2020, listed inside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24784645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roxan/pseuds/Roxan
Summary: He had first met her that night, the lights shinning down on her, the smoke billowing out at her feet and building up around her. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from her as she seemed to glow with a halo of light around her. He hadn't seen her since that night, but here she was sitting before him, starring out at the stage they would both be performing on in just a few short days.Rokushi Rock Band Au for Day 5 of Rokushi Week 2020
Relationships: Roxas/Xion (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Rokushi Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795651
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Waterfall

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collab with Firecore and set in his Rock Band AU. You can find Firecore over on twitter @lenlen_kyun.  
> Some minor Zack/Aerith

Twilight Town was plastered with posters, nearly every free wall used to advertise the upcoming musical festival. As the days drew closer the town had been slowly morphed, spaces preparing to be used for various events, a stage having been constructed in the sandlot in preparation for one of the several music tournaments to be held. The town was abuzz as locals prepared, the various shops bolstering limited time items, restaurants prepared to cater, and various locals practiced in preparation for the competitions they had signed up for.

Performances and competitions alike were planned, with various well-known performers coming in to play, as well as local groups prepping for their chance to be heard by more people than ever before. The festival came once a year and was the perfect chance for lesser known artist to get their names out there and show what they could do. The genre of music did not matter, if a person had the desire to play before others they could sign up.

Twilight Town had a good number of young musicians looking for a start, looking for a chance to broaden their horizons. The town was small in comparison to a city, but it was a popular tourist spot, the hills the town rested on known for being a good place to watch the sunset. And the large clock tower which could be seen all over the town was a popular destination. The large bells which hung from the side and colorful face a well-known must see, with people from all over coming to see the tower.

The festival would draw in even more people, and so it was the perfect time for people to show off their talents. Out of the several local groups competing Roxas’ was neither new, nor as old as others, the group having played together to some extent for a few years now. It was the challenge of a new genre of music of which none of them had played nor sung for in the past that offered a challenge to the group. The nerves of performing in front of a full audience only amplified by the new challenge.

The festival was less than a week out but Roxas had called for a break, his bandmembers having spent all their free time the last several weeks to learning the song they intended to play, as much as practice was important he did not want any of them to wear themselves out. So, for the first time in over a week Roxas found himself with no practice to attend. Instead he walked around town, enjoying the evening atmosphere as the day drew closer to twilight, the sky close to taking on the colors it was famous for.

The buildings and people passing by in meaningless blurs as he lost himself in the music that flowed out of his headphones, the black cord wrapped around his fingers as he played with it. The sweet taste of ice cream lingering on his tongue, a plain popsicle stick hanging in his mouth.

His wondering eventually led him to the sandlot, an open area that was being converted into a temporary concert area. A stage had been built against the back wall; seating sat out in rows before it. In a few days, this area would be packed with people as people like himself and his friends performed up on the stage.

The area was nearly empty, only a lone seat in the front row occupied. A flash of a concert, his brother by his side, music blaring so loud he could hear the floor vibrating through his shoes, and up on stage the girl in front of him now. The lights above the stage having casted a halo around her as she played, her fingers moving across the strings of her guitar, the movement having left him hypnotized as he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She had been the only thing on the stage for him during her group’s performance, and she was one of the people he would be facing off against in a few days.

Now, in current time, she was merely sitting down on one of the many seats in the front row. Her shoulders hunched forward and arms resting against her legs, the tense posture so different from how she had held herself on that stage.

Roxas had slipped his headphones off, resting them once again on his shoulders, his music off and the popsicle stick he had been gnawing on thrown away.

“Yo, Xion!”

“Oh, Roxas. Hey what are you doing here?”

Xion had sat up straight when he had called her name, the tense posture loosening up just a bit as her focus was broken. Roxas had moved to stand near her, his boots clacking against the stone that covered the entire area, the only other sounds being the occasional chirp as a bird would fly overhead.

“Was out on a walk, gave the others a break.”

“You sure you should be relaxing so soon to the festival?” Her smirk and the slight tilt to her head making the question less of an inquisition and more of a challenge. He had seen her passion and fire that day on stage, the passion and fire he wanted to chase after and learn more about. Her comment left a similar fire burning in him, a desire to chase and learn left him wanting to rise to her teasing.

“And yet you’re out here, you sure you don’t need to make sure your group isn’t lagging behind? It would be embarrassing if you guys couldn’t keep up because of how green your new group is.”

“Ah, but see my group is better than yours, we can beat that little pop band of yours any day.” Xion’s tone was light and mocking, her eyes slightly narrowed as she looked up at him. A few strands of her hair resting against her cheek, the black strands brushing against her pale skin.

Roxas clutched his shirt in mock injury. “Ouch, so harsh!” His smile grew even wider as he played along. “But I wouldn’t get so cocky, we may just surprise you.”

Xion chuckled before standing up, the small black purse which had rested to the side of her chair now swung over her shoulder. “Ok then, you better pull out all you’ve got, because if you can’t surprise me, then you have to buy me dinner.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” He inquired, as much as they were teasing one another, he was genuinely curious as to if her challenge had other motives. He would not pass up the chance to go out with her, though he would rather not have to lose her bet to make that happen. He would never hear the end of it from Hayner if he threw the competition just to get to go out with Xion, he already got teased enough due to what he had purposed they perform.

“Nah, just thought I’d get a free meal.”

The area was now washed in the glow of yellows and oranges, twilight having arrived, the area still devoid of anyone but them. The setting sun left a bright glow behind Xion, the colors radiating around her like the lights had on the stage that night. Her black high neck shirt contrasting greatly with the bright colors that surrounded her.

“Does this mean you have to buy me dinner when we leave you stunned?”

Xion had only ever heard them perform the typical pop songs they would cover, so she really had no idea what they had in stored for the festival, and they would leave her surprised. He knew they would, no way she would be expecting them to switch up genres like they were.

“If, and yeah I guess it’s only fair. Though you should probably set some money aside, I’m thinking the Le Grand Bistro would be a good place to eat after the festival.”

“Nope, you’re getting something from one of the food stands, maybe tacos.”

“Bistro or nothing.” Xion shook her head, her arms now crossed in front of her, for someone shorter than him she really commanded any space she was in. Her bright smile and the gleam in her eyes as she leaned towards him maintaining her playful demeanor. Commanding yet playful, she was someone he loved to interact with.

“You’re just trying to rob me; the bistro is a 5-star place.” He had never been to the bistro himself, despite being called a bistro the new restaurant in town was known to have amazing food, and the entire place screamed fancy. Rumor had it that a big tycoon owned it, and though no one had seen the chief it was said he had worked at one of the most renown restaurants in a rather large city.

Xion merely continued to grin. “It’s only appropriate that we go somewhere nice isn’t it, I mean you’ll need good food to cheer you up after you lose.”

Roxas had let out sigh, his hands shoved into his pockets. “Fine, but once we win, you have to buy me the most expensive item on the menu. I’ll make sure to console you on your loss.”

“Sure Roxas, if thinking that helps you sleep at night go for it.” Xion had pulled away, her short hair swaying slightly as she turned to leave.

“Wait, what were you doing out here anyway?” He had found it a bit strange, that she had just been sitting there in a completely deserted area, there were plenty of benches in the more active areas of the town if she had just wanted to rest.

Her steps had faltered at his question, a hand brought up to rub the back of her neck as she turned back to face him. “Well… um… Ok promise you won’t laugh.”

“Why would I laugh?” He found her sudden shift odd, only moments before she had been so confidant, but now her steps faltered, and a dusting of red covered her cheeks.

“Just promise ok?” She insisted.

“Sure, yeah I promise, no laughing.”

She had taken a deep breath, her hand brought down and now playing with the strap of her bag. “I… I can’t get the choreography down for our performance.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes, her gaze moving cast downward and her feet shuffling a bite, her boots creating a light tapping sound against the ground.

As her words started to register with Roxas he could not help but let out a chuckle.

“Hey! You promised!” Her face had gone full red, her purse strap clutched tightly in her hands.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, you are so confidant I can’t imagine you ever having trouble with anything.” Truth be told, he had not known her that long so he really could not say what she was normally like, but in the time that he had known her she had always seemed so confidant.

She was like waterfall, constantly moving forward. But as she refused to meet his eyes and her face remained stark red he realized that just like anyone else Xion could fumble, she had things that made her nervous, he had let the image from that night cloud him. Xion was a person like anyone else, well no not completely like anyone else, but she was still human, and she still had things she struggled with.

“I can still play perfectly fine though, so don’t think this means you guys have any chance of winning.” She still worked to keep up that confident attitude even as her body language continued to reveal how nervous she was at the admission.

“Now that I think about it, you did barely move around that night, you played like crazy, but you mostly stayed in the same spot.”

That night the music had played so loudly, the lights had shined down on the band and illuminated them as the heavy fog that surrounded them made them seem to glow, and she had enraptured his attention. The way she played, the confidence in her eyes, the way her beauty just made everything else around her pale in comparison. But thinking back on it she had mostly stayed in the same spot, only taking a few steps every now and then to move her back towards the rest of her band.

“Your movement is still a part of your performance, if you leave that whole stage empty and don’t use the open environment to your advantage people are going to notice.” He had gestured to the stage which stood before them, the platform before nearly all set up for the upcoming days.

“We know that, it’s just… something I’ve never been that good at, being able to play and keep up with my routine. So I came out to clear my head, try and stop thinking about it for a moment to see if coming back to it later would help, but all I ended up doing was coming here, and thinking about the performance.”

“Would you like help?” He knew them having an advantage over any of the other groups would help them out, their chances of being the winners increased by the flaws of the other groups. And yet he still found himself wanting to offer her his help, he knew that he may be able to help her but seeing her so frustrated and knowing he may be able to do something left a bad feeling in his gut. The thought of just ignoring the chance to help her did not sit right with him.

Xion finally looked at him, her gaze puzzled. “You’re not really saying that you are going to try and help your competition, right?”

He shrugged, he really could not give her a proper answer to her question, at least not one that he was willing to share. “Well, I mean why not, you’re going to beat us no matter what right? So, what does it matter if I give you some pointers?”

“Fine, but how are we doing to do this anyway?” Xion glanced around them, as if checking to see if anyone was around, but the area remained empty of anyone else. Only old Tom, a black and white cat which tended to roam the town, had entered the area. He rested atop one of the benches that lined the walls of the area, his tail swishing back and forth as the laid out on the worn wood.

Roxas turned to look at the stage before glancing to the steps that led up onto the platform. “We could go up on the actual stage and practice, it is where you will actually be performing.” He glanced back to Xion before moving towards the stairs.

“Are we even allowed on the stage right now?” Xion followed, her footsteps echoing behind his.

“Probably not, but no one else is even here right now. Unless you think Tomas is going to rat on us.” They both glanced back over at the old cat who was merely resting his head on his paws, ignoring the world around him with the freedom that came with being a cat.

Xion followed him up the steps, the elevation brought on by the stage making everything else feel further out. “Nah, I think we should be good, he’s not too talkative.”

“A talking cat would be rather impressive though, I’m pretty sure no one would even care about us, they’d be too busy freaking out and trying to get a video.”

“I’d rather see a talking dog.”

_So, she’s a dog person then._

They stopped in the middle of the stage, Xion had laid her purse down a few feet back, a paper was now clutched in her hands.

He knew various steps that may help Xion, different things to do if you were having an issue memorizing where you needed to be and when.

“Ok, A good step to memorizing where you need to move is to go through the motions without your instrument.” He moved to stand in front of her, his arms held out in front of him like he was holding his guitar. “Take it slow, one set at a time and then start to do them back to back.” He moved across the stage, going through a few motions before back tracking and repeating them once more. “Has anyone ever gone over your choreography with you before?”

She had to have been playing for a while given her skill level with her instrument, but he really knew nothing about her musical history. It may have been a bit presumptuous to ask her this, but he really had no idea if anyone had ever helped her before, and even the basics are stuff that you have to learn from somewhere.

“Not really, I used to just mostly play in place, and then Vanitas never really had anything planned for me, just had me play beside the others. My current group actually has something planned, and I wrote what they had in mind down, but we didn’t really go over it too much, focusing more on getting our song down.” She waved the paper out in front of her, and when he moved close to her to read it, he could see the stage directions scribbled out over it.

“It’s not me being able to move, as much as me not wanting to run into my bandmates. If I mess up the timing or forget a set then it could cause one of the others to bump into me and that wouldn’t be good, especially if we are all focused on playing through the song.” He nodded his head in agreement before moving full beside her in order to read over the paper, she glanced briefly at him before looking back down, a hand coming up to tuck a strand of hair back behind her ear.

“If you want, we can run through the movements and I can clap out the beat for you, we can go through the first set you have, it’s mostly stage placement based on certain parts of the song. So, go through the song in your head and keep it to the beat. Once you have this part down, we can go on to the next.” He stood back, allowing Xion space as she moved to stand where she would probably start on the stage. He started to clap, tapping his foot as he kept with the standard beat.

She took in a deep breath, then held out her hands like she was gripping her guitar, before dropping them back down. “This feels stupid.”

“I know but trust me it helps you get a better feel for things.”

She brought her hands back up once again, closed her eyes for a moment then looked straight ahead, her gaze unwavering as she started to hum. Her head slightly moving in beat to his claps and before long she started to move across the stage. Moving forward before falling back some, a few moments pasted as she hummed through more of the song only for her next step to falter. She stopped humming and dropped her arms down, her hands clenching into fist at her side.

“It’s ok, we can start again, just take it slow and think about where you are supposed to be on stage.”

They continued like that, Xion starting over the song again before moving across the stage, her steps becoming surer with each part of the song they moved through. Even when she would miss a cue or move faster than she knew she was supposed to she continued on, and she started to correct for her mistakes instead of stopping in frustration.

She continued despite any embarrassment or frustration she may have felt, her fingers having started to move across strings that weren’t there.

When they had made it through the entire peace with her hardly having to correct it, he called it quits, the sun was getting lower and she could easily handle it from here. “Great job, I’m sure you can handle it from here. You should be set to finish any prep over the next few days.”

Xion just looked at him, like she was frozen in place, eyes glancing around him before settling back on his face. It was only for but a moment, but that moment seemed to stretch on for eternity, time crawling to a slow as he waited for her response, the light of the setting sun creating a glow across her cheeks.

When Xion moved once again it broke that moment and time seemed to resume back to its normal pace. “T-thanks for your help.” She picked her purse back up and started to head for the stairs. “It’s going to get dark soon, so I should probably run by Market Street. You can come with.”

“Sure!” He followed, gripping the short side rail of the stairs as he descended off of the stage. Following her out of the Sandlot he noted that Tom was no longer on the bench he was before, the area seemed vacant of the old cat.

Market Street was one of the most active areas of the town, hosting several shops it was the main place a lot of people came for business. The area was surrounded by the tall, looming buildings that comprised most of the town, shops built into the areas, the La Grand Bistro and a small open area that often showed movies could also be found in the area. The lines for the tram ran across the ground, the path colored different from the rest of the paved area.

Xion moved through the crowds that dotted the area, they had entered the area at the back end, away from most of the shops. They chatted as they walked, discussing the various songs they tended to listen to, and where he had gotten his headphones.

The tram moved past them slowly, the large metal vehicle colored similar to brick buildings around it, the light that leaked from the windows helping to illuminate the areas it passed as the sun started to fully disappear and the sky turned darker. Lights all over had turned on as the town was brought more into the night.

Xion had led them to an accessory shop, the store front built into the side of the building, its signature neon sign glowing bright. As she opened the door the small bell which hung above jingled, and he could here a call of welcome coming from further in. Music played across the store, the various stands where packed full of various jewelry and accessories. Posters hung on the wall sporting people wearing some of the merch on display, Jessie stood behind the cashier stand that was placed near the front of the store.

“So, what are you looking for?” The two of them moved further in, weaving past the stands and shelves. “I was thinking of getting some new rings, heard from Ultear that they had some new stuff in that I may like, do you want to get anything for yourself?” He grazed his hand over the black and white checkered wrist band that covered his left wrist. “Nah, I’m good. Do you tend to get your stuff from here?”

“Mostly, though I do sometimes go to the shop over near the tram tracks on the other side of town, but this one is so much closer, oh and sometimes I order stuff online, but I don’t really do that very often.” Xion had stopped and was glancing over a case full of various rings, some where hanging from metal hooks and others placed in boxes on the small shelves that covered the stand. A few other people meandered around the store. The music overhead continued to play, the song at a low enough volume to easily talk to others but still loud enough that it was easy to pay attention to.

Xion continued to look over the rings, picking up various ones and trying them on before placing them back, as he waited for her to pick out what she wanted Roxas had started to look over the various items nearby. Scarfs hung on a rod that stretched across the wall, bundled together with the various length of fabric creating a rainbow of color that flowed into each other. Pence tended to wear scarves, almost always having one wrapped around his neck, even during the summer when the heat rolled in and everyone else would switch to lighter clothes. Pence’s birthday was approaching soon, only a few weeks out, so with that in mind Roxas started to shift through the fabric, looking for a possible present.

He pulled out various scarves, running the fabric between his fingers and pulling them out to see the full pattern, he had just picked up a shorter orange and black checkered scarf when something caught his attention.

A voice was softly singing along to the song that played overhead. The voice was pretty, rising and falling with the song that played overhead, matching the notes of the singer whose voice could be heard all over the store. Turning around he found Xion, lost in thought as she had moved to trying on bracelets, she was singing along to the song. Her voice soft, not even seeming to realize what she was doing as she kept going through the jewelry before her.

“You’re a good singer.”

Xion seemed to jump at that, her hands sitting down the bracelets she had been holding before turning to him, her singing had stopped. She picked up a few items that laid on the table next to her before walking towards him. “I hadn’t even realized I was doing that, are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah.” He grabbed the checkered scarf and made his way towards the cashier. “You have a good singing voice, why don’t you ever sing in your band?”

“You know you don’t have to try and flatter me.” Xion’s pace had picked up as they had moved to the front of the store.

“I’m not trying to… or wait… no I mean, I’m not just saying that to try and flatter you. I genuinely think you have a good voice. So, why don’t you sing in your band?”

They had made their way to the cashier before she could reply Xion sat her items down on the register and Jessie began to ring it up.

“Have you guys had a good day?” The overly sweet voice didn’t match the tired look on Jessie’s face, her smile strained and hands slow as she moved. “Yeah, our day has been good, how about yours?”

“Oh, it’s been good!” Her words really didn’t fit with how she held herself. “Had a long shift and late-night last night so just getting through it!” She told Xion her total. “Are you getting this for a special occasion?” The question had been directed at Xion; the till dinging open as she went to grab Xion’s change.

“Yeah, my band is performing in the festival. Got some new clothes and makeup to use for the event and heard from a friend that there was some knew jewelry in that I might like.” Xion had taken the change given to her and slipped it in the small blue wallet she had pulled from her purse, a sea shell pattern stuck out against the blue, the shells painted bright colors such as pink and yellow.

“That’s great! Well I hope you guys have a good performance, I’m sure you will look super cute too!” After Jessie had handed over a small white bag with the store logo on the side she reached for his scarf, running the price tag across her scanner.

“Thanks Jessie. Hope you have a good rest of the night.” Xion moved over towards the entrance, slipping her wallet back into her purse. He handed Jessie the needed bills before telling her he hoped that she had a good rest of her shift and got some rest. She let out a small thanks before slipping him his change and handing over his own bag.

The door ringed once more as they slipped out, the sky had gone completely dark, the last rays of the sun having slipped down. The stars were spread out across the sky, the moon visible in the distance, only half full as it shined down on them.

“So?” Xion had stopped not far out from the store the other people around them going about their own business. “You’re really sweet Roxas, but my voice just isn’t suited for rock music.”

“I wouldn’t sell yourself short, give it a shot. You never know how things may turn out.”

“I’ll stick to my guitar for now, but maybe one day, so you bought a scarf?”

“A friend of mine has a birthday coming up, he likes scarves so I figured this may make a good gift, you?”

“New rings and a few bracelets for the festival, I already got new clothes, and even ordered in some good makeup, but needed some stuff to finish off the look. Need to dress to impress right?”

“Yeah.”

The tram based by, the short whistle sounding through the air as it warned people away from the tracks. It slowly moved on the back light casting a yellow glow against the people it passed, causing their shadow to stretch out towards where Xion and Roxas were standing. The dark shapes twisted and deformed as they stretched up to them, the shapes quickly changing and being replaced as people moved on and other walked into the light. And as the tram moved out of range the shadows grew weaker, before they disappeared.

“Why the new makeup though? I get wanting to do a new outfit, but I think what you use now is fine is.”

“It’s just more professional stuff, it will last longer and look better, a friend of mine is pretty knowledgeable about makeup application and she’s going to help.”

They just stood off to the side as they talked, looking out at the people that passed by but not really paying them any mind. Roxas couldn’t help but fidget slightly at her words, there was nothing wrong with Xion wanting to up her game, to learn more about makeup and use more expensive products. She was beautiful as is, so using better stuff could only up her appearance and increase the appeal of her bands image, but at the same time she didn’t need to.

It really wasn’t his place, but he couldn’t help but think about something Olette had mentioned before, about the pressure people can feel in the music industry about appearance, his own experience of worrying over his look and how much time he would spend on trying to better his sexual appeal because it seemed to matter. Olette’s hand on his shoulder as she talked about the unhealthy and unfair standards set by those who judged performers and the way more well-known musicians at times would cave to the public demand.

The industry could be so harsh and unhealthy when it came to body standards, the two of them were far off from being well known, but still the pull to cave into the standards set was strong. To match the people, they saw on posters and in videos, to fit the image they knew often accompanied the famous. It was such a little thing, just getting better makeup, something easy to do if you could afford it and not taxing on your physical health, and yet the slight worry set in, that Xion could feel the pressure to try and fit the mold set out by those with more influence.

She was amazing as is, she shouldn’t have to worry about trying to change or “improve” herself at all for a better chance at winning or trying to play up any sexual appeal to fans. He knew that perhaps she just wanted to look better for the performance for herself, but those memories still nagged at the back of his mind. He really hoped she didn’t start to fall at all for the pressure the media could create.

“I’m sure you will look incredible, but honestly I think you already look perfect as is.”

Xion had only stalled for but a moment, quickly glancing away before looking him in the eyes and saying something that left his entire brain unable to function.

"You're not so bad yourself either, that undercut of yours is pretty adorable, makes you look tough for someone so adorably soft."

He found himself unable to react, his braining seeming to short circuit while he tried to process what she said, a hand slowly raising up to run against the short cut hair. Trying still but failing to process that she really called him adorable. Xion giggled at his expression before turning around and calling out to someone. She turned back to his stunned self and pointed out into the crowd.

“Zack and Aerith are waving over to me, come on.”

He followed, his mind finally starting to function again but finding it too late to say anything in reply, she had out matched him on this, and it was clear she knew it.

He had meet Zack and Aerith briefly before, Xion’s new band members, but he didn’t know much about them. They were older than both of Xion and himself but only by a few years, and Aerith worked part time at the flower shop over at Sunset Terrance. The two seemed to be out together, given their locked hands.

“Hey! Roxas right?” Zack extended out his right hand in greeting, his left still holding tight to Aerith’s. “Yeah, Zack, right? You play the drums, and Aerith is on keys, right?” Roxas shook his hand, before facing Aerith, she nodded her head before leaning up to whisper in Zack’s ear.

“Oh right! Xion, we were wondering what to expect from the festival, I mean I know we’ve gone over the performance, but we’ve never been to Twilight Town’s music festival before, so we didn’t know what to expect outside of our performance.” Zack was so cheery, his voice loud and energetic even so late in the evening.

“There have been festivals and shows in Radiant Garden, but each town has it differences, and we haven’t really discussed what the festival is normally like.” Aerith in comparison was rather soft, her voice sweet and gentle. She leaned on Zack and he moved his hand from holding her own to laying across her shoulder, pulling her in closer.

“It might be bigger than you guys are used to, the festival does bring in a lot of people, but the basics should remain the same. We can go over just the gist of the festival at practice tomorrow.”

“Are you guys new in town?” He had only really seen Aerith in passing before, but Twilight Town was still a rather large place, and it wasn’t like he would know everyone or have even run into all the people that lived here.

“Yeah, Zack and I are here temporarily, we are both from Radiant Garden. Zack would play some with local bands back home, but I’ve never played in front of a big crowd before, so I’m a bit nervous.” Aerith shifted slightly, Zack dropping his arm from her shoulder, she wrapped her hands in her dress, fidgeting with the fabric as she talked.

“Don’t worry Aerith, you’ll do great!” Zack’s grin was large and contagious, making Roxas smile as he watched Zack encourage Aerith, so open and honest.

“It’s normal to get nervous,” Xion moved closer to her friend and bandmate, reaching out to pull Aerith’s hands into her own and away from her dress, “but once you start playing that just fades into the background. It’s so much fun that the nerves can just wash away, and the crowd just disappears. And if not then we will be here to back you up.”

“Thank you, Xion, Zack, I promise I will do my best. I have just never done something like this, so it’s a bit nerve wracking.”

Zack wrapped his arm back around Aerith and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. “It will be great; we can even look up some ways to calm nerves and do them before the performance if you’d like.” Aerith had started to lean against him again, appearing to find comfort against him.

“If you ever have any worries Aerith just let us know, that’s what we are here for.”

Roxas watched as Xion encourage her own teammate, reassuring her and truly acting as a good leader to her bandmates, but he knew she hadn’t taken her own advice. She could be so confidant and self-assured, so bold at times, but nervous too and unsure. She motivated her bandmates with a smile on her face but didn’t want to bother them with her own troubles. They parted ways with Zack and Aerith and he wanted to press Xion as to why she hadn’t brought up her concerns with her band, but in the end felt it wasn’t the time.

Just as he was about to ask her what she planned to do next a text came through on his phone, the device buzzing repeatedly as more messages flooded in.

* * *

Zack called out goodbye one last time before he and Aerith were too far away, they disappeared in the crowd and once again it was just them. When this day had started Xion would have never guessed she would have spent it with Cloud’s younger cousin. She had only met Roxas briefly before today, only spending enough time to greet each other and share names before Xion had been pulled back by her band and Roxas tugged away by his brother.

Cloud had been the one to bring the two up again that night, mentioning his younger cousins who also liked to play music, their mother having been the one to help him find a place to stay when he decided to move to Twilight Town temporarily. Having thought back to Roxas and Ventus that night she had wondered why she didn’t put the connection together instantly, while a few years younger Roxas and Ventus shared a striking resemblance to their cousin.

Roxas’ adorable demeanor and kind nature was still all his own though, his flustered reaction to her comment earlier being all too adorable to watch. Even as she had to change the subject to keep herself from falling apart at the praise he had given her before. He shinned so brightly that it was almost a bit much, so different from what she was used to, the world appearing so colorful around him.

She turned back to find Roxas typing away rapidly on his phone, the constant buzzing from it before having been an afterthought as she had parted ways with her friends. His tongue was stuck out slightly as he concentrated on the messages. Roxas’ appearance was like he was trying to appear tough but the entire way he acted and little quirks he had contradicted that image so much it was rather adorable, like a little lion cub trying to appear tough and scary but falling short because they were too small and cute to pull it off.

“Who are you texting?”

Roxas’ attention broke from his phone, his eyes were blue like the sky on a clear day, she wondered who he got his eyes from, they were similar in shade to Clouds, did that color run in the family?

“A friend of mine is bored and wants to hang out, so he’s spamming the group chat we are in.” “Isn’t it pretty late to be asking to hang out?” People milled by them and the tram still ran but the later it got the more people would turn in, the market only keep going by how popular a place it was for people to be, even as some of the shops started to close for the night.

“Yeah, but he’s never been one to really care about conventional times, he apparently couldn’t take being cooped up at home anymore and wants to meet up at our usual hang out spot.”

“Usual hang out spot huh? You guys have your own little club house, that’s so cute.” Roxas’ cheeks turned pink and he quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Ah- it’s not like that, it’s just a spot that we’ve used since High School, and like no one else goes there, and… yeah I guess it’s kinda like a club house.”

Roxas was so easy to tease, he really gave her too much to work with. “That’s really cute, my friends and I would usually just hang out here, or over on Sunset Hill.” Days would be filled up with her friend group wondering from store to store, or taking the tram up to Sunset Hill and spending hours just talking away up on the hill that allowed you to look over the entire city.

“Would you like to come meet them? The others all seem to be meeting up, and I think you would get along with them, Hayner is a member of my band, Olette and Pence don’t play but we’ve all been in the same friend group since we started high school.”

Xion said yes, she really had no were else to be for the night, and the idea of spending more time with Roxas was an appealing one. Roxas had smiled before grabbing her hand pulling her forward as he led her over towards the hill that was one of the several paths someone could take to get into the market.

The tug at her arms reminded her of another, of dark painted nails and dark hair, of a harsh grip on her wrist, but Roxas’ was gentler. He guided her more than pulled her along, his grip something he could easily get out of and his hair a dirty blond, not the dark black that she would have seen before. And as he led her forward, she found that the worry that used to settle in her stomach, wasn’t there instead the emotion she felt left a different feeling. One she wanted to follow and seek more of, instead of turning away from, his grip wasn’t one that she was afraid of.

* * *

Hayner and the others were already there by the time he and Xion had arrived, his friends perking up when they saw he had brought someone along. Hayner and pulled him to the side, trying and failing to grill him on what exactly he had been doing out so late with a girl from a rival band.

The small space was filled with chatter as Pence and Olette threw question and question to Xion, Olette wondering about how she got into music, and Pence wanting to know where she went to school and if she liked exploring.

His friends were always so egger to know someone new, and Xion took it in stride. Giving them answers as quickly as they would dish them out, her smile bright as she talked about her grandmother, about watching her play the piano. About wanting to play music like her, and how her dad had raised her on old rock, buying her her first guitar when she was still in elementary school.

Roxas leaned back against the wall of their little “club house”, his insides all warm and fuzzy as he watched Xion smile and talk on with his friends. When she glanced over towards him the look on her face left his heart pounding harder and his hangs twitching to reach out and take hold of her. He had to resist the pull that had overtaken him, he wanted so badly to pull her close and just revel in the sound of her voice and the fire that glowed in her eyes.

Instead he remained where he was, enjoying getting to watch the conversation before him play out, and as he did, he couldn’t help but hope that he got to see this more in the future. That he would get to hear that voice, see that smile, and watch as Xion chased after her goals, like a never-ending waterfall he just couldn’t look away from.

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously go check out Firecore if you haven't already his art is amazing!  
> [Firecore's art that goes with this fic.](https://twitter.com/lenlen_kyun/status/1273864270065938432?s=20)  
> It love it so much y'all. He made a full 7 page comic and it had me screaming.  
> "Soul" by Jessie McCartney and "When It’s Right" by Alyson Stoner were songs Tink suggested and I kept in mind while writing this fic.


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